The Austin Allegro was manufactured by British Leyland in 1973, with the model produced until 1983. The Allegro was a small family car which was also produced in Italy in 1974 as the Innocenti Regent. Unlike most British built cars during this period the majority of the 650,000 Allegro's built remained in the UK, making it a true British car, loved by the British public.

Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, the Austin Allegro superseded the Austin 1100 and 1300, though it did have its limitations. Hatchbacks were becoming more and more popular with the release of the Volkswagen Golf, therefore the saloon model of the Allegro failed to compete with the growing hatchback market.

A number of models were introduced in both a saloon and estate version. The saloon version came in both a two door and a 4 door, whilst the estate was only available in a two door version. The omission of the hatchback version is rather evident in the line up.

The rounded design of the Austin Allegro went against the styles of the times, with the Italians having focussed on straight lines and angled designs.

There were two types of engines in the A series and E series, the latter being used on the more high end models. The A series was available in 1 litre with 45 bhp, 1.1 litre with 48 bhp and a 1.3 litre with 54 bhp. The E series was available with a 1.5 litre with 68 bhp and a 1.7 litre engine with 80 bhp. An up rated 1.7 litre was also introduced which gave an extra 10 bhp with 90 bhp overall.

The Allegro 2 was introduced in 1975 and continued until 1979, which featured the same body as the first version but with a modified front grille. The suspension was also upgraded along with the braking systems.

In 1979 the Allegro 3 hit the market, with the introduction of the 1 litre engine which would be used in the forth coming Austin Metro. Whilst the car featured an upgrade on the aesthetics it was still seen as being behind the times compared to some of the newcomers to the market, namely the Escort and Astra. From 1980 onwards the Austin Allegro dropped out of the top 10 British selling cars for the first time.